MONROE - Conservation has been the focal point of Mayor Louis Armstrong for two years, and though some ideas have met obstacles, his tree initiative was a success.
The number, 217 in 2017, was actually exceeded as residents planted trees throughout the community. In total, City Forester Paul Klinzing said 352 plantings were recorded by the city last year. Armstrong said he was glad to see a goal of the program, highlighting the city's terrace tree planting service, was successful as well.
"It wasn't a matter of directing where to plant," Armstrong said. "The point was simply to encourage more planting."
The city offers residents the chance to plant trees on their terrace, the grassy area between the sidewalk and street, with the Fall and Spring Terrace Tree Planting Program. It is set up through the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department. For the cost of the tree, parks employees plant, stake, mulch, fertilize and water the tree at the time of the planting.
Through the acquisition of funds from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's Urban Forestry Grant, tree prices were cut in half for Monroe residents. A London Plane or Hackberry could be acquired for $75 rather than the standard $150.
Klinzing said 60 trees were planted through the terrace program in 2017. A total of 28 were added to city parks by staff. The 264 remaining were self-reported private plantings and seedlings put in place throughout the city, some with the help of elementary students.
Armstrong also intended to utilize findings in the 2015 Monroe Comprehensive Report. In the report's Land Use portion, beautification, with the focus on inclusion of trees, bushes and flowers along the roadway, was identified as a need.
Part of the reason for planting has been to subvert some of the damage caused by emerald ash borers, a metallic green beetle that feeds under the bark of ash trees, killing the plant as a result. In 2015, the bug was reported in Green County for the first time. Klinzing said the city was lucky to have recently completed an inventory of more than 4,600 trees throughout the city which identified trees by species and graded their conditions on a 1 to 100 percent scale.
"With the inventory, we could make good decisions," Klinzing said.
He noted that tree removals will increase. Of the city's tree population, 777 are ash trees. In 2015, workers removed 29 trees within the city. The following year, because the ash borer had been properly identified and plans set in place, the city removed 52 trees. Last year, there were 61 removals.
Any tree above 85 percent on the condition scale was treated for two years. In the first year, 37 park ash trees received treatments and in 2016, there were 228 ash trees on terrace given the sale trunk injection. Klinzing said this year, 150 of the 228 trees will be treated once the department finds which are in the best condition.
Armstrong said he does not plan to implement a similar initiative in 2018. He said though he is confident he will be re-elected as mayor, he is against starting a program if he cannot finish it. Armstrong is running unopposed for mayor in the April 3 election.
However, he plans to continue his focus on conservation within the city. A project to place a mile-long natural trail along roughly 10 acres of wetland adjacent to the Green County Family YMCA was another endeavor he pursued in 2017, albeit less successfully. It was denied by Monroe Common Council in August on a 5-4 vote. Complaints from constituents who lived in the area and costs associated with the project were behind the council members' rejection.
Armstrong has not given up on the project, and is looking to have it approved prior to the fall budget season.
"It hit a little bit of a bump in the road," Armstrong said. "There's some support out there for it. I'm working on a different approach and want to try to get some more support."
The number, 217 in 2017, was actually exceeded as residents planted trees throughout the community. In total, City Forester Paul Klinzing said 352 plantings were recorded by the city last year. Armstrong said he was glad to see a goal of the program, highlighting the city's terrace tree planting service, was successful as well.
"It wasn't a matter of directing where to plant," Armstrong said. "The point was simply to encourage more planting."
The city offers residents the chance to plant trees on their terrace, the grassy area between the sidewalk and street, with the Fall and Spring Terrace Tree Planting Program. It is set up through the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department. For the cost of the tree, parks employees plant, stake, mulch, fertilize and water the tree at the time of the planting.
Through the acquisition of funds from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's Urban Forestry Grant, tree prices were cut in half for Monroe residents. A London Plane or Hackberry could be acquired for $75 rather than the standard $150.
Klinzing said 60 trees were planted through the terrace program in 2017. A total of 28 were added to city parks by staff. The 264 remaining were self-reported private plantings and seedlings put in place throughout the city, some with the help of elementary students.
Armstrong also intended to utilize findings in the 2015 Monroe Comprehensive Report. In the report's Land Use portion, beautification, with the focus on inclusion of trees, bushes and flowers along the roadway, was identified as a need.
Part of the reason for planting has been to subvert some of the damage caused by emerald ash borers, a metallic green beetle that feeds under the bark of ash trees, killing the plant as a result. In 2015, the bug was reported in Green County for the first time. Klinzing said the city was lucky to have recently completed an inventory of more than 4,600 trees throughout the city which identified trees by species and graded their conditions on a 1 to 100 percent scale.
"With the inventory, we could make good decisions," Klinzing said.
He noted that tree removals will increase. Of the city's tree population, 777 are ash trees. In 2015, workers removed 29 trees within the city. The following year, because the ash borer had been properly identified and plans set in place, the city removed 52 trees. Last year, there were 61 removals.
Any tree above 85 percent on the condition scale was treated for two years. In the first year, 37 park ash trees received treatments and in 2016, there were 228 ash trees on terrace given the sale trunk injection. Klinzing said this year, 150 of the 228 trees will be treated once the department finds which are in the best condition.
Armstrong said he does not plan to implement a similar initiative in 2018. He said though he is confident he will be re-elected as mayor, he is against starting a program if he cannot finish it. Armstrong is running unopposed for mayor in the April 3 election.
However, he plans to continue his focus on conservation within the city. A project to place a mile-long natural trail along roughly 10 acres of wetland adjacent to the Green County Family YMCA was another endeavor he pursued in 2017, albeit less successfully. It was denied by Monroe Common Council in August on a 5-4 vote. Complaints from constituents who lived in the area and costs associated with the project were behind the council members' rejection.
Armstrong has not given up on the project, and is looking to have it approved prior to the fall budget season.
"It hit a little bit of a bump in the road," Armstrong said. "There's some support out there for it. I'm working on a different approach and want to try to get some more support."